Plastics and perfume: Part 1

by Carolyn Clark

The art of selling perfume is all about image: the name, the associated couture and, last but not least, the packaging. Glass is the most obvious, and practical, container. But plastic has been in there from early in the 20^th century. And not just the stoppers where plastic and rubber now dominate.

Wax perfumes were popular in the 20s and 30s: and what better container than tiny Bakelite, including phenolic and sometimes celluloid, pots which unscrew. The big names for these were Molinard of Paris, Ava of London, Aziade, Mumtaz. The cases vary from straight forward round boxes to marvellous deco shapes. All usually 1.5-3 centimetres in diameter. Many are hand-painted with flowers, swirls and zig-zags, landscapes or to embellish the novelty shape of a figure. Rarely, they are carved with flowers and shapes echoing the bakelite jewellery of the time. And some of the phenolic ones have rhinestones inlaid.

A boxed set of 3 Molinard "Concreta" bakelite pots states "The genuine wax of the flowers used directly as perfume. Just a touch behind the ear, in the hair, on the eyebrows, on the linings of your coat is quite enough to be perfumed".

The other use that may apply to some pots is to house rouge/lipstick or kohl. Before lipstick came in tubes, it was also sold as the wax perfumes in small pots. These tend to be slightly bigger (3-5 centimetres).

There are also miniature novelty versions of the pot, such as dice, Chinese lanterns, heads of exotic people, eggs, buckets, books and, a personal favourite, the penguin. They also came with a hook and tassel on to wear round the neck. These may take the form of the phenolic and celluloid tubes containing everything from sewing kits and manicure sets to small glass phials of perfume, powder puffs, dice and cigarette holders. These also have deco shapes and painting applied, as well as novelty designs such as lighthouses, owls, oriental or Arab figures, champagne bottles and birds – including the inevitable penguin! The full range of colours is covered, particularly amber/tango/yellow/butterscotch, red, burgundy, green, pink, purple, black. The colours are often mixed with a different coloured lid to that of the base.

I have seen these pots sold with all sorts of functions suggested (pill boxes, thimble holders when no thimble could fit) once the solid perfume or rouge has disappeared without trace. Sometimes, the seller doesn’t even know they open, such as the head of a Chinese girl where the hat unscrews. Prices vary enormously, with top prices from a specialist dealer of up to £30 for a pot and the tubes can be anything from a few pounds to £50 for a rare figural version.

And yes, the smell usually stays good if you find a pot with the solid perfume still there.

Plastics and Perfume: Part 2

Part 1 focused on solid or wax perfumes of the 30’s. But the most common form of perfume is, of course, liquid. And it is hard to beat glass as the container. Glass moulding, however, has its limitations (and costs). A huge amount of perfume is sold as presents, notably at Christmas, so the perfume sellers have to seek packaging that will look good as a gift. In the cheaper end of the market, the Lalique bottle costing more than the contents is not a runner. So along came the enormously variable mouldings that plastics has to offer with the arrival of Bakelite. The heyday of these charmers was in the 30’s to 50’s.

Bourjois, with its Evening in Paris range, exploited the potential to the full. No book on plastics iscomplete without the charming blue Bakelite door with the pairs of men’s and women's shoes outside. The distinctive blue glass bottle (with bakelite stopper) is revealed when the door opens. Then there’s the shell (blue and white), owl, grandfather clock, turtle, shoe, Eiffel tower, sedan chair and more. There are at least 4 Bakelite eggs (small and large dark blue, large mottled blue and clear with sparkle inside and a tassel coming from the bottle inside’s stopper). These pieces now fetch high prices – around £100 or more for the door, the owl, the shell, the turtle and the clock, more for the rarer Eiffel Tower.

 Saville comes a close second with its June and Mischief ranges. June is notable for the bottle in a sundial with cardboard packaging opening out into a full garden vista. Mischief, in its distinctive black glass bottle, also came in an egg (white) with the branding of a cupid. Other Bakelite packaging includes a suitcase (with a 1951 Festival of Britain sticker on it), and a top hat, complete with cardboard hatbox with "the latest thing in hats" emblazoned on it. A cream box is a wartime issue with cupid wearing a helmet on the front and inside the lid, a photo frame – mine has a poignant photo of a soldier still in it, perhaps the giver?

And then there is Californian Poppy, with its charming red Bakelite stopper with a poppy moulded on the top. A real treasure is the red and green Bakelite compact with the lid moulded as a poppy flower containing a bottle of the perfume inside. It is a burst of colour and style, which outshines a perfume best left inside!

There are many other makes which use plastic packaging, right up to modern times. I’ve seen shoes, guitars and dogs used. Avon brings out countless novelty packages year by year to sell its range of perfumes, making the most of the potential of the plastic lid.

Ah, the sweet smell of phenol!